On New Years/Teaching in the DR | SL 4.3 (January 2023)
In this newsletter
You can always read this newsletter in your browser.
Click the photo for a short video update.
On New Years
I graduated on January 5! It was a delight to have Mom and Dad here for the occasion.
The New Year sneaked right past me in a blur of graduation celebrations and illness. But I tend to think that's the best way to do it. If you're like me, it is almost guaranteed that you'll overburden this fresh start with goals that are difficult if not impossible to maintain. A string of failures by mid-January is no fun. So out of necessity rather than design, I'm easing into the New Year. Not so much making goals as reflecting on where I want to focus my energies and what things God might be calling me to pursue. I've been encouraged in this by a recent newsletter from Oliver Burkeman (It's called "The Imperfectionist," and I highly recommend it!). Burkeman writes,
Ironically, then, the sort of person who spends a lot of time barking at themselves to get out of their comfort zone may be digging themselves deeper into their comfort zone – because it’s precisely the joyless striving and self-denial that’s grown comfortable for them. For such a person (and I know one, rather too intimately) what actually takes guts is easing up on the joylessness, and making space for gratification in the present. Life, after all, is finite – so if you’re ever going to take enjoyment from it, at some point you’re going to have to do so now.
Sage advice that I strongly resonate with. This is certainly not to say I won't plan my weeks or keep track of tasks I need to accomplish and work towards them—these things are crucial parts of being a responsible, productive adult. But! I think I'll sit lightly to the fresh start/big changes/turning over a new leaf type resolutions and just focus on faithfulness.
So... here's a to a happy and productive year of living with less goals and paying more attention to habits, practices, and the things that you enjoy without tracking all those performance metrics, which, so often, are more a recipe for disappointment than for success. Don't do, just be.
Burkeman's advice dovetails with some really fascinating analysis by Dr. Ross Ellenhorn on the psychology of change and the role of spiritual virtues like faith and hope in the process.) I read the book a year ago, but revisited this podcast this week.
Somehow, all of this seems to connect in my mind with the inspiring way that Barnes & Noble has completely turned around their business prospects over the last few years by doing the counter-intuitive thing: putting people who actually like books back in charge and personalizing the in-person experience. Here's to re-creating this business model in my life this year.
And just to show that U2 is still making great music, here's my New Year's anti-anthem for the year:
After the graduation ceremony, we took dad to walk a bit of Hadrian's Wall.
You are Training Pastors to be Faithful to Scripture & Strengthening the Global Church
- I had a wonderfully uneventful teaching trip to the Dominican Republic in December. Our team of four trained some 50–60 Haitian pastors and ministry leaders who are working in the diaspora in Santiago. Despite incredibly challenging conditions in Haiti and the DR, these Haitian brothers and sisters diligently studied the story of Scripture with us for a week. It was clear to me that their understanding of the canon of Scripture and God's plan of salvation deepened substantially in our time together.
- For the next 10 weeks I'll be at home in Durham, focusing on student ministry and teaching at the University here, prepping for my next overseas teaching trip, and a few writing projects.
- In late March, I'll travel to the second most populous country in the world to teach a course on Exegesis of Proverbs at an underground seminary. I am excited about this opportunity because it is one of TLI's most strategic initiatives—partnering with a local seminary to provide high-level academic training in an overwhelmingly non-Christian and increasingly anti-Christian context.
Thank you. Your prayers and support empower everything we do.
Willa collecting sea glass on the coast with Granddad
The Whole Bible in the Dominican Republic
In early December I was in the Dominican Republic with TLI, where our team taught a course called "Knowing the Bible's Story" for some 50–60 pastors and ministry leaders. The goal of the course was to help the students understand how the whole Bible communicates the gospel of Jesus Christ and how to interpret and proclaim it accordingly.
These icons, which were designed by the TLI curriculum team, anchor the course and make it memorable. Each day I would draw them out on the board like this and use it for a review. Each icon corresponds to part of the biblical canon and has a phrase that summarizes that portion. For example, the heart stands for Genesis 12–Deuteronomy and God's covenant with his people. The heart with the lines of light coming off of it stands for the four Gospels and is meant to indicate the new covenant in Christ's blood. These images made for a short hand way for the students to grasp how each part of Scripture relates to Christ.
It's always a highlight to get to know individual students. We arranged to arrive at the training site early on several evenings so that we could hear some of their stories. They are facing unimaginable challenges. Haiti is now a failed state and the horrific realities there are driving a global diaspora. If you want to learn more, consider this article the BBC released while I was in the DR. I should warn that it contains descriptions of extreme sexual violence. The correspondent said that in 30 years of reporting from war zones all over the world, the situation in Haiti at the moment is as bad as anything he has ever seen. Many Haitians are desperate, separated from family, and unsure of what's next. Pictured above is Daoching—he was an excellent and conscientious student who pastors a small congregation on the weekends and works construction during the week. Pray for the security of these students and pray that the LORD would place them where they can minister effectively in the Haitian diaspora.
Our training site on a break. Dominicans and Haitians do not typically get along in the DR, but a Dominican church graciously opens their doors so we can hold this training. This is a cause for praise and a powerful picture of the gospel working beyond human prejudice and fears.
The trip to the DR was somewhat uneventful—but in a good way. Night by night as we taught through the bible, the students were tracking with the concepts and building their understanding of how the canon fits together. Their progress and enthusiasm encouraged me. Thank you for supporting their work and training—you are strengthening the church.
Pray With Us
Thank you for praying with us. As I put these newsletters together, the thought of your faithful prayers encourages and humbles me. Thank you.
- Praise God with us for the passing of another year and for accomplishing many milestones. Pray that we might always dwell on his faithfulness and his generosity toward us.
- Pray for my preparations to teach Proverbs in SE Asia and for the students as they work on readings and assignments ahead of my arrival.
- Pray for wisdom and focus in my work. I felt too fragmented and less productive/effective than I want to feel last Autumn.
- Pray for God's guidance and for wisdom for our family this year as we consider long-term directions our ministry might take.